Characteristics and Empowerment

Leadership:

Characteristics and Empowerment Examples

 

    In the video of A Bug's Life, the ants are preparing all their food for the grasshoppers for the harvest season. Then, a leaf starts to fall and some of the ants start to panic. One of the ants is nearby and is leading and guiding everyone on their path. He sees the leaf fall from a different perspective. This demonstrates that the leader has awareness for the situations and problems that might occur. He was alert and addressed the problem right away. A leader must be aware in order to take care of situations in a timely manor. The leader is persuasive as he guides the ants to take another route. He comforts them and gives them reason to turn and go a different way. As he persuades the ants to move the other way, they are then able to rejoin the line they were in. He also tells the ants he is a trained professional, and that the problem was nothing compared to things he had seen already. By saying these things, he comforted the ants to go calmly in the right direction. 

     The leader ant empowers his men by demonstrating his value for people. In one moment, the ants start to panic and do not know what to do. Instead of reprimanding them for not trying to solve a simple problem, he comes to the situation and simply asks them to go another way. His facial expression and body language showed no judgment upon the reaction of the ants. He did not regard how the ants were performing, but treated them as "human beings" so to say. 

                          

     The principal, Joe Clark, in Lean On Me is a leader who stepped up to guide a school through a tough situation. In the scene, he comes across as harsh as he talks to the teachers. However, he is showing his authenticity towards the team. His actions show that he took seriously the issue at hand and was not going to have things acceptable anymore. He tells the group the truth, even though it was not pleasant for them to hear. In the clip, it shows that he even had to demote one of the football coaches because he was not doing a good job. Towards the other team members, he also gives orders as to what they need to do to fulfill their roles. In addition to being authentic, Joe is also present in the given situation. He does not try to hide from the issue but stays focused. The story shows that he led the school out of the situation they were in, and this shows that he was present in every step of the way. Though there seemed to be chaos, he did not run away. 

     Joe Clark also provides his employees with information with decision making. He addresses some issues directly towards the team members in the meeting. Even though he said them in a harsh way, he is giving them information and feedback that they need in order to make the decisions for their positions. One of the tasks he gives to the group is to provide information about any drug dealers they know about by twelve o'clock. This direct and clear task allows him to go on and trust the employees with their decisions they make in their jobs. 

     In the video, "School Administrator Dance," there are three administrators dancing in their office to celebrate their success and job well done. Through this, the administrators are building community with one another. As they had to do many walk-throughs and analysis, they are doing a fun and rather funny activity to celebrate. They are also authentic, as they feel free to be who they are. They must know that having a high job does not mean that they cannot have fun or celebrate their successes. They are honoring the good in their work. The men also show they are committed to their jobs. The questioning man had doubts to whether they did what they needed to do, and they all showed that everything was fine and running smoothly. Since the man doubted, this makes me believe they must have done this in a fast and productive time. They must have been committed to what they needed to do and not get sidetracked by other things. Their hard work allowed them time to celebrate. 

The group of men dancing are helping each other feel rewarded and recognized for empowered behavior. Though the man who came in did not trust that they had done their job, amongst each other, the administrators are celebrating that they were able to finish all their tasks on time.  

Videos:

Bug's Life      https://youtu.be/X_8jH3-EPf8

School Administer Dance       https://youtu.be/PwEItlFeY9A
Lean On Me      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVbMwDm2C3I